Ex-Joburg mayor Gwamanda clinches key role in GNU

Al Jama-ah has designated former City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda as the party’s representative in the Government of National Unity’s dispute resolution mechanism.

Despite controversies around Gwamanda, party leader Ganief Hendricks believes he is suitable for the role. “He has special skills. And he is a senior member of the party and was the mayor for 16 months,” according to Hendricks.

Gwamanda is now a member of the mayoral committee in Johannesburg. He was the second mayor appointed from Al Jama-ah. Thapelo Ahmed had a short stint at the helm before having to resign due to mounting political pressure. 

Pundits and opposition parties frequently questioned Gwamanda’s competence. This  following his appointment as the first citizen of the city, causing rifts within the ANC Johannesburg region.

 

Like Ahmad, he only received a vote because the EFF and ANC were at odds over the coveted position. The ANC pushed for Gwamanda’s removal to make room for Dada Morero, leading to his eventual resignation.

The ten GNU signatories will be part of the mechanism, as per the GNU’s statement of intent. Rise Mzansi’s Parliamentary Whip Makashule Gana will be part of the mechanism, while Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean McPhearson will be representing the DA. 

“The parties to the GNU shall also establish dispute resolution or deadlock-breaking mechanisms in instances where sufficient consensus is not reached. Parties should raise disputes within the mechanisms created for this purpose,” the statement of intent reads.

The clearing mechanism will have its first sitting virtually on Wednesday evening, and top of its agenda will be the contentious Basic Education Laws Amendment 2022 (Bela) Bill. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the bill last month, but he has decided to postpone the implementation date for clauses four and five by three months to give the GNU more time to discuss the legislation.

Clause four of the bill provides for a provincial head of education to override a school’s language policy—that authority currently lies with school governing bodies. Clause 5 provides for the provincial education department heads to control admission policies. 

The DA has strongly opposed these clauses, arguing that their implementation could lead to the deprivation of mother-tongue education for children in single-medium schools. DA spokesperson Karabo Kakou has confirmed that the party would still be forging ahead with legal action against the implementation of the bill.

 

The bill seeks, among other things, to make grade R the new mandatory school starting age and to penalise parents and guardians who do not ensure that their children are in school. It also bans corporal punishment in schools, with sanctions imposed for those found guilty of such offences.